Podcasts at EF lessons

I think podcasting is another tool for us to take up and practice in our classroom.

What is Podcasting?

Podcasting provides a means of publishing audio programs via the Internet. Users can automatically download podcasts (usually mp3 files) onto their computers and transfer these recordings automatically to portable music players such as iPods. Users can then listen to the files anytime and anywhere they choose.

Podcasting is especially interesting for English learners as it provides a means for students to get access to "authentic" listening sources about almost any subject they may interest them. Teachers can take advantage of podcasts as a basis for listening comprehension exercises, as a means of generating conversation based on students' reaction to podcasts, and as a way of providing each and every student diverse listening materials.

Following the link you'll find many ready-made podcasts for our classes
http://esl.about.com/od/englishlistening/a/intro_podcasts.htm

First experience in the classroom

This is to share the latest news from our collegues. Galia Sadykova successfully initiated demonstrative classes. This happened on 13.02.08. What makes her special thanks is that she managed to blend in as interactive board as multimedia resources. I really admired the work of interactive pen. Just think how it's helpful in drill exercises and spelling development. Use of different colours and size should make this or that mistake vivid or draw attention of students to a particular phenomenon.

Another discovery for me was the library resource which should stimulate imagination and support students talk. Various symbols and pics give a learner some ideas to ground their opnion.

As for the use of Hot Potatoes it was great to practice some vocabulary but what the teacher should think over is the organisation of feedback. We can't be silent when one students has finished but another is working or any other mishaps might occur. So the question is what should we do to assess students knowledge with HotPotatoes?

PS And I should thank Irina Popova and Nargilya Hasanova for their support at the class.

Learning activities for kids

Following the link you'll find many exciting activities of difference levels for your classes to satisfy the needs of your auditory, visual and kinesthetic learners.

http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids.htm

Your learners will enjoy listening to a song, reading subtitles and definitely animation!!!

E.g. the song Record Breakers is a good practice of degrees of adjectives :

http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-songs-record-breakers.htm

Independent student development via interactive EL learning

TESh's successfully launched the 2d level of the training course. The goal of it is more ambitiuos. The trainees are going to clarify some issues on task-based learning and to use learning activities and teacher's assistance to their full progress.


On the first day trainees have clarified some points on learning styles and acquired some practicle teaching skills how to meet abilities of different styles: visual, auditory and kinesthetic as in traditional way as via computer technology. (It was good practicing of Power Point and another try of HotPotatoes. Follow the link http://uk1.hotpotatoes.net/ex/25887/DSXYTYHE.php)


Another activity trainees enjoyed was their own learning experience and getting some new info on the Convention on Rights of children. Trainees' task was to pick up some new rights which are prescribed by the Convention. You're welcome to study the Convention following the link http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/k2crc.htm and acquire new knowledge reading various articles of this document.


And there was much discussion and fun!